“I’ve done it a couple times this year and we’ve come out on top in those games,” Reilly said.

Not this time.

Muskego’s lone hit, a run-scoring triple in the third inning proved to be the deciding factor as the Warriors’ Rob Zolecki did Reilly one better by throwing a no-hitter in a WIAA summer baseball state semifinal Friday.

Muskego rode Zolecki’s arm to the 1-0 win to end the Panthers’ season. This is the last summer baseball tournament, as all teams in Wisconsin will be playing in spring in 2019.

“It’s kind of surreal right now but a lot of credit to my teammates behind me,” Zolecki said. “They gave me a lot of confidence on the mound knowing that if I threw strikes, they would make plays behind me.”

Plymouth coach Butch Cain says Reilly did everything he could, and that ordinarily that type of dazzling performance on the mound would be rewarded.

“Whenever Holden gets on the mound, we think we’re going to score at least a run or more automatically,” Cain said.

Said Reilly, “I didn’t think I did too bad out there today, but we just couldn’t get the sticks working.”

Jacob Paige, the Muskego coach, had nothing but praise for Reilly.

“We did expect low scoring,” Paige said. "Not necessarily one hit the entire game, but hat’s off to him, too. He pitched an outstanding game."

The Panthers managed just two base runners all game, with their best chance to score coming in the top of the sixth when Matt Pohl reached on an error before stealing second.

The next two batters for Plymouth failed to move Pohl over to third before Joe Steinhardt flew out to deep left to end the sixth.

Cain acknowledged what could have been.

“We get him one more base over … then Joe’s long fly ball is a sac fly and the game is tied,” he said.

Pohl said Zolecki’s stuff was so electric that it took time to calibrate, and time was not on Plymouth’s side.

“It took us all one at-bat to get used to the pitching and I don’t think we had enough time to adjust … we just couldn’t catch up to the ball in time,” Pohl said.

Reilly said the batters could have been more patient at the plate.

“We didn’t bring our A game," he said. "We maybe could have seen some more pitches.”

For Cain, the loss stings but is salved by the fact the semifinal was so well played by both teams.

“If you like to see home runs, this wasn’t your game," he said, "but if you like to see old-fashioned baseball, it was a great game.”

The longtime coach doesn’t want to hear that there wasn’t enough action.

“Defense and pitching, that to me is exciting baseball and today you saw that,” Cain said.

No play encapsulated that more than an over-the-shoulder catch Pohl made in the first inning.

Muskego led off the game with a walk by Frankie Cistaro and it looked like he’d be heading home as Wes Kwapick blasted a shot over Pohl’s head in right.

Instead, Pohl adjusted on the fly after battling the sun and made an acrobatic catch over his right shoulder.

“That was a shot, right at the warning track," Pohl said. "I saw it, stuck my glove out and there it was.”

Reilly appreciated the defensive help.

“Honestly, that was one of the greatest plays I’ve seen in high school baseball,” Reilly said. “I love the kid and we know he can do that kind of stuff.”

When the final out hit the first baseman’s mitt to end the game, Cain refused to let his players hang their heads.

“A couple of our guys wanted to cry and I told them, ‘Why? You’ve left everything out on the field. You played unselfishly,’” Cain said.

Pohl agreed.

“I don’t think we should be sad," he said. "We should be happy. We went out with a bang.”